8 Ball Pool Tips & Tricks

Be careful with how much power you apply!

A common question we get asked on Facebook and Twitter is: “how can I get better at 8 Ball Pool?” To answer that question, we’ve put together some tips which will transform you from a beginner to professional potter in no time at all.

Watch your power

The amount of power you use on your shots is almost as important as how accurately you aim them. This is especially true if the object ball is a long way from the pocket. The harder you hit a shot, the more likely it is that it will stay out.

In many cases a soft touch will give the ball a better chance of dropping into the hole. This is particularly vital information when trying to pot in those tricky middle pockets.

Be careful not to use too little power, though! You don’t want to miss a straightforward shot because you hit it too gently. Don’t “hit and hope”; judge how much power is needed for each shot and adjust as appropriate.

Use spin

Use of back-spin will ensure there are no mis-haps with the cueball here.

The world’s finest 8 Ball players have learned to master the art of putting spin on the cueball. Clever use of spin can avoid those dreaded “oops, I sank the cueball” moments, or, better yet, get you in a good position for the next pot.

You put spin on your shots using the arrow keys or by clicking on the cueball in the corner and dragging the dot into position. The dot represents where the cue will strike the ball: if you want backspin, move the dot to the bottom of the cueball and for topspin, move the dot to the top of the cueball.

Pay attention to the guidelines when lining up your shot – as well as showing where the object ball will go, it also gives you an indication of where the white will end up. Is it heading straight towards a pocket? Add some backspin to the cueball and it should stop in its tracks. Need to get a better angle for your next shot? Think about adding side spin to the cueball and forcing it into an easier position.

The harder you hit your shot, the more spin will be added to the cueball. But be careful, as too much power and spin can send it out of control and into a pocket!

Plan ahead

Top-spin can line up the shot after this!

The pros don’t just think about the shot that they’re lining up – they’re thinking one, two, or even three shots ahead. This means that they already know which ball they’d like to pot next, after the one they’re about to pot.

With that in mind, you can start to think about what kind of spin or how much power you need to put on your shot. If you need to get all the way down the table to make your next shot easier, try and leave a good angle and use plenty of spin and power to get the white into position. Don’t leave yourself a longer, tougher shot than necessary!

Know the rules

There are a few basic rules that all 8 Ball players should know if they want to succeed – make sure you’re not making it harder for yourself!

If you pot a ball with your break-off shot, you can still choose whether you want to be stripes or solids! You might think “great, that’s a solid already potted”, but then realise that the stripes are in a much better position. The choice is still yours, until the next ball is potted.

If a ball doesn’t hit the rail around the table, that shot is a foul. Lots of players make this mistake: it lets your opponent move the cueball to wherever they want on the table.

If you pot the black but the cueball also goes down, you lose the game. Don’t forget about the cueball’s guideline when you’re lining up that last shot!

If you’re playing in the Cairo tier or above, you need to “call” which pocket you’re going to pot the eight ball in. If you call a pocket and then pot the eight ball in a different pocket, you’ll lose the game.

Practice makes perfect!

Play lots!

Our final tip is the most important one: make sure you play lots!

The very top players, who have levels in the hundreds and countless tournament wins have become the best because they’ve simply played a lot of 8 Ball Pool and refined their skills. They know how much power to put on their shots, which spin to use and how to plan series of shots.

The best way to join them is to keep playing, practicing and learning! Remember, you can practice 8 Ball Pool offline on your mobile. That way you can be prepared before taking on the rest of the world.

Got some tips to share? Share them with the world in the comments down below.

How about you fix the stupid slow connection that constantly says I timed out after I clearly made the winning shot and you give the win to my opponent basicly stealing my coins and ruining my win streak!

Why don’t you get rid of the guild line, Like in the 8 ball game on Miniclip, when the player gets to a level, the guild lines are taken away.
Or have a game without any guilds at all.
It would be more like the table pool game

I agree. I would like a “pro mode” so to speak. A mode I can choose where we don’t get guide lines or we get very reduced guidelines. I love this game but it has gotten to a point in my games where it feels like if you aren’t lucky and get to break then you won’t get to play. Nobody misses anymore.

Well Adrian, you personally may not like having the guide lines present, however, it sure appears that most players appreciate having them for better accuracy with their shots. You, on the other hand, should learn how to spell ‘guide’ line..Before you proceed to speak badly of them. No offense intended. 🙂

YES. a ‘pro’ option would be a way of finding out who the best player really is. The lines make it easy for beginners or inexperienced players but the real skill of pool is judging which part of the ball to hit and how to hit it. The lines change the game so it’s easy, but not as satisfying.

The rules on the black ball, was then the pocket is picked. The player has to stay with that pocket. So if the player on the black ball misses he shot on the black into the top left hand corner. That the pocket he is on for the black until the game ends.
And one player should not be able to use the other player’s ball, to pot the first player’s ball.

Hi Garrie,I have just raised the issue of deliberate fouls with the developers and have been advised,via email,that they are looking at a fix.Fingers crossed we can rid our beautiful game of these cheats.

There are all different rules for the game of pool, be it in the local pub or pool hall or a mates house, just leave it the way it is here, the game is superb although it would be nice to limit the amount of times that the player can ”nice shot” etc, some people keep clicking the comments. Not very sportsmanship!!!

a chat box wouldn’t be good, ’cause then people can do some serious crimes, such as giving an address, and the person who asked came to the house and kidnapped somebody and robbed them. So all in all, a chat box wouldn’t be very smart to put in 8 ball pool multiplayer.

I love miniclip n thanks for the the many many many fun games….i have searched up n down, high n low n spent no telling how.many hours for shuffle board games….like the ones in billards. Really wish i could find.one or 2….where you slide the puck with your hand and the tables are in different patterns…kinda like the party shuffle on m.s.windows8. That would be wonderful to play more than looking … thanks n hugs. I love the pool games. 😉

1) Is it possible to change the pocket you selected after you selected it?
2) Also, when you have ball in hand, how do you pick the ball back up and move it again after you place it. I see team mates doing it, but I can’t get it to work? (using laptop with mouse)

1) I suppose you’re talking about calling the pocket on the last ball, the black ball, right?
The answer is no, you cannot change the pocket after you selected it. If you pot the black ball in any other pocket except the one that you just selected then you will automatically lose. Potting the white (cue) ball and the black ball at the same time also means a loss for you. In case you pot the black in the selected pocket but hit one of your opponents balls first and that pots the black, that also means a loss for you. You have to pot the black ball in the selected pocket and you must make the first contact with the black ball. And you must not pot the white ball of course.
Of course, if you fail to pot the black and if your opponent misses his shot and you get another chance to pot the black, than yes, you can call on a different pocket then the one you did before.
2) Simple, you just pick it up just as you did the first time. Hold down the left mouse button and move it around freely. Same here, using laptop with mouse, kinda hard to play from the touch-pad 😀

if it wasn’t for picking up the cue ball on scratches and placeing it anywhere’s the game would be alot harder which the white ball goes behind the line ‘ we all know that so why have the white line on the table ? and aslo when breaking and hit 8 -ball in that should be the game it sucks that it come out too give opps another chance and on last shot on the 8 -ball you hit it and it falls in any pocket sucks too PLAY THE AMERICAN WAY thanks

They are not just AMERICAN rules. Theses are the world wide accepted pro tournament rules. And the are better for the game by far than all the different variations of rules the use to exist. Those rules you play in your local pub are not coming back.

Well and that is a shame because these rules are pretty much for Little Kids Ball in Hand I mean c’mon Really Be a man put the ball at the 2nd diamond and take a shot and how is it even cool the=at a person can scratch while trying to sink the 8-ball to end the game No He should lose it right then and there

how do you get miniclip to provide a fair game without assisting your opponent?because i don’t see it possible that so many that i play can shoot so well given the shortcomings of this game without having the assistance of a higher power.i seem to get the breac far too often,and always scatter the balls good but never pot anything although i use the techniques i see miniclip player use and pot 3 or 4 balls.i notice the facebooc players are a more even match as well,not so many miracle shots,but then again,i haven’t been matched against a facebooc player in the last ten days or so.i also notice losing my connection more frequently,usually when i’m a sure win or even after potting the eight ball but before getting my credits for the win.so how to correct these problems?

John, I had these problems as well. I recently realised that a lot of players “cheat” by freezing the game, then if you leave they win the frame. If you stay, then at any given moment they can start the game again. After 5 seconds or 20 minutes, however long. I lost several million coins by this happening, maybe 200 times. This hasn’t happenned to me for a while now since the new updates! I have lost my connection on the odd occasion though. I play through miniclip now, although FB is more stable now to, even using 3g.

I’ve been very annoyed lately with how 8 ball pool works. You should categorize the tournaments by levels and experience, instead of it being randomize. I know you have to be at certain levels to unlock various tournaments, but it’s not fair that a level Grandmaster can play on the very first tournament that is available, and totally annihilate all the new players who just started, when the Grandmaster can go against someone worthy of their skill. For example, instead of having a level 4 player against a level 65, the tournaments should be organized by levels, such as:

That could work but some masters (level 63+) like myself don’t have enough money to go into the higher tournaments. A lot of us lost a game for 200,000 and now have barely any money. Miniclip probably won’t let it happen.

I get so frustrated by guys who win because of luck rather than skill – the hit and pray guys. I say get rid of the guide lines and nominate pockets for every shot. Also, sinking an opponents ball should be a free shot – that’ll stop some hit and pray people.

I agree with call pocket on every shot, maybe just in the higher tournaments. It would slow things down. BUT they need to make it so you can change your mind and pick a different ball and pocket. not like now where once you call the pocket for the 8 ball you can’t change it.

My internet connection worked properly with excillent speed but quite often it happens that while i use to win a game or tournament message appeared that i have lost connection with the network. What the hell is this as i have lost a huge number of tournaments due to this reason.

Why won’t miniclip provide an “back to main screen” icon once you opponent arrives. I’m sick and tired being ripped of my cheats and hackers usually level 60 and above. Majority of the time I might as well give him the coins.

They say you can change pool cues during a game by pressing the button that goes to the pool store on your screen bottom left. So why do I not have one of those buttons? When I see You Tube videos some people have some people don’t can someone tell me why ?Because I would like to change my cue at times!

I would have won many times but people use comments over and over again during my shot or they pause the game during my shot. I wait it out but they do it over and over again. I would like to know, how do you report cheaters? My son said someone accused him of cheating and he was kicked out of the game and his account suspended. He was just playing on a phone with a cracked screen. But I have played people that it’s obvious they are cheating. How do I report them?

I recently noticed a glitch. On the first shot after the break (when who is stripes and who is solids is determined) suddenly the game will freeze and the balls will be on different spots on the table, and while it will show you as stripes (or solids) when you go to line up a shot it will show up like you are going after the wrong ball.

Here’s one that needs to be knocked on the head!!! Those ‘players’ allowing the time to almost run out before taking every shot; you know them, line up the shot then sit back and wait until the very last microsecond before letting the cue go! Every shot?? Yes actually, every shot!! Its a form of barracking and barracking is unsportsmanlike cheating, regardless of creed, colour or your mother’s not very good looks.

Miniclip, sort this out. If there’s any more than say 3 ‘time into the reds’ for any player in any game, they should automatically lose.

I guess one way is to do the same thing your self. I suppose there will always be cheats. The trouble with pool there seems to be a lot of cheats.
The main thing I do not care for recently, is when breaking off, the first player moving the ball to the side cussion to break. The first player should
loose his shot, if he/she moves the ball.

I have done this and I apologize to legitimate players that I have done this to. But when people are cheating and win… I leave early so they have to wait to enjoy their victory. It’s my way of having the last word. Sorry yes I know it’s a little narcissistic but cheaters bring out ugly sides of my character even I don’t like. Lol

I find that the extra spin doesn’t work like in real pool. Grandbilliards, when in business were almost dead on with draw, tops, sides.
With using tops, the accuracy just isn’t there. Especially if you have to turn up the speed a bit. Bottoms is not as bad. Very addictive game though!

Any tips regarding how to play using the mouse now I have a touch screen laptop? I am used to playing with the mouse – I don’t want to drag my finger around the screen but although I can plug in the mouse and play, in practice it is jerky and impossible to control. Any ideas how to get lovely smooth game back? Don’t say ditch the touch screen ! xxx

In your laptop control panel, you may need to change some mouse settings. Eg. ‘Enhance Pointer Precision’ is trying to fine tune your cursor movement. Try turning that off. Your ‘Mouse Movement Speed’ may need lowering. You may need to turn off ‘Cursor Shadow’. You may require specific drivers from the mouse manufacturer. Try mouse on different surfaces. If all else fails, get a new mouse. If possible, from the same maker as the laptop. Hope this helps. X.

This may sound ridiculous, but my opponent hit the balls so hard he potted a stripe and my solid left the table. I cleared the table and it wouldn’t let me pot the black as it said I still had a solid to pot, but it wasn’t on the table to pot.
thankfully it was a low points game as I couldn’t do anything but lose.
anyone else seen this before

Awesome game! Two things I’d like to see are; harder small bet versions (like 2500 no guidelines/call pocket etc.) Might work as custom game? And secondly would LOVE LOVE LOVE trickshots like cue ball jumping, I know it’s complex but I can’t play a dozen games of real pool without send one flying off the table.
Cheers programmers!

I really like this game but I am very angry because sometimes it says that I have lost connection to the game and then I become offline.
I also have a network connection speed of 100 Mbps. How can this happen?!

Deliberate fouling often spoils otherwise good games. The problem being that playing strategic snookers is often made a waste of time, and can even lead to the snookering player losing, if the opponent simply refuses to play his shot legally. Miniclip should address this issue, and at least make a statement if they choose to leave it like this. Or do players prefer being able to play illegal shots and not be punished for it?

How do I move the ball using a keyboard. I use a laptop with no mouse and I often lose the advantage when I have ball in hand. With the mouse its easy but I just cannot figure it out when it comes to using the keyboard.

by playing at higher/highest entry fee at “Play 1 on 1” and win … the higher level you go … the longer to complete the next level … best way to do it … just don’t lose at all 🙂 … HINT : before entering 100,000 p-coin entry fee … start winning and earn 3 times the entry fee … much less risk to lose entire p-coins at once.

That is part of the game … some good and some bad … it’s best to save 3 times entry fee’s pool
coins so you can try again one more time without losing so much pool coin at once … this is extremely risking to play 600,000 entry fee with 600,003 … if you lose then you will only have 3 pool coin and wait for an hour to get 25 pool coin … if you saved 1,500,000 … then play 600,000 … you can either try one more time or save back up to 1,500,000 … the good thing is “it is just a game” … I am very competitive and dislike to lose and thankful that this game is not “real” life situation which makes the games alittle more fun … of course, when lost, LAUGH and try again.

Did you guys do something to the Spin & Win with the update? I like to not use them rite away and would let them accumulate over time. I liked to let about 25 build up and then use them all at once. Well since your update I haven’t been able to save them like that. I had 21 before the update and used them after. Its been 5 days since then and it wont let me save over 2. What’s up with that?

Why is nobody answering this? This is a official page for the game right? Now the game will not save more that one Spin & Win. WHY????? I am a game designer too and cant understand why you would keep from letting someone save there Spin & Wins to use later. Please!.. WHATS UP?!?!?

Great game!!
Just curious to know how the coin pot is divided when there is a connection error, or a dropped connection?
A suggestion I could give to the creators of this great game is to add another 10/15 seconds to the time permitted to play a shot. Maybe in a future update?
Thank you

Im going to delete this game if they will not give me my prize for being first in country league and my league!!! Been playing for the past 6days without enough sleep just to be number 1 and then when i woke up today and checked it to claim my prize, it says i did not play on last week!! Please fix this MINI CLIP… Im a big fan of yours! If i will not get it then goodbye!

Why are you stealing from us? I just won 2 games, I had 10,256 coins and still have the same amount. It is not fair! Please fix that. I will not play anymore if this is going to happen all the time. And it’s not the first time. Every day you steal from me 100+ coins. Please fix that. Anyway, the game is awesome, I love it.